Newham will benefit from new funding after being identified as a high-risk area for victims of knife and gun crime.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan pledged £400,000 for the “growing problems” of “knife crime and youth violence” on Wednesday.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) figures, released on the same day, show there were 6,290 victims of serious youth violence between 2015 and 2016 in London, a 20 per cent rise since 2012-13.

Some 331 of these victims were in Newham.

Serious youth violence includes gun and knife crime, violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery, where the victim is aged 19 or under, acccording to the Metropolitan Police.

The money will go towards two London Resettlement Consortia projects - Newham is supported by the North East London project - which offer support for victims and vulnerable young offenders released from custody.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As mayor, and as a father of two teenage daughters, I am deeply concerned and determined to do everything I possibly can to help rid our communities of this terrible violence.

“We need to send a strong message that carrying a knife is completely unacceptable, and is more likely to ruin your life than to save it.”

Also revealed in the data was that women and girls now make up almost a quarter of victimes of serious youth violence, while the use of a knife is flagged in almost half of the same data.

The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee met yesterday to examine the reasons for the increase.

Members heard from speakers including commander Duncan Ball, who is responsible for Gangs and Organised Violence.

Discussions referenced the changing economic stakes of drugs activity which could lead to vulnerable community members wanting to carry knives, plus the rise in social media apps such as Snapchat.